1. Telling Your Study Abroad Story:
Developing Your International
Elevator Speech
Angelique Torres
Employer Outreach Specialist
Endicott College, Career Center

2. An Elevator Speech Defined
 An elevator speech should be no more than 3-5
sentences in length.
 “An elevator pitch is [defined as an overview]
designed to just get a conversation started.”
- Chris O’Leary, Elevator Pitch Essentials, 2008
 The nine “C’s” of an elevator pitch:
- Concise - Concrete
- Clear - Customized
- Compelling - Consistent
- Credible - Conversational
- Conceptual

3. Exercise #1: Drafting an
Elevator Speech
 You will have 10 minutes to draft an
elevator speech individually.
 You can use the following questions
along with journal entries and
photographs as a guide.
- What three words come to mind when you think
about your time abroad?
- What do you feel people most misunderstand about
your time abroad?
- What skills did you gain as a result of being abroad?

4. Exercise #2: Break-Out
Groups
 Break out into groups of 5-6 members.
 You will have 10 minutes to share your
international elevator speech with your
group members and provide feedback
to each other.

5. Wrap-Up and Reflection
 Who would like to share your elevator
speech with the group?
 What was challenging about this
exercise?
 What is one takeaway from today’s
exercise?

6. Sample Elevator Speech #1
 My study abroad experience in London, England
provided the opportunity to live in a really vibrant city.
The visits to museums and historical sites allowed
me to better understand the British culture. I learned
a lot about myself in the process, as I had many
conversations with locals who held different points of
view than I hear at home. It challenged me to apply
my learning and diplomatically share my point of view
in a cross-cultural setting.

7. Sample Elevator Speech #2
 My time abroad in Peru was the most empowering
and joyful experience of my life. I realized that there
is a much bigger world out there and that the
Peruvian people have a very rich, proud culture that
more Americans would enjoy learning about. I was
able to improve my level of Spanish to the point that I
can carry on a conversation that allows me to
express myself with some emotion and personality. I
realized how closely language is tied to culture, which
allows me to understand my home country better too.
Overall, it was a very positive learning experience
and one that has encouraged me to explore other
cultures.

8. Contact
Email: atorres@endicott.edu
Facebook: Endicott College Internship & Career
Services
LinkedIn: Endicott College Networking Group
Twitter: ECInternCenter